Art Deco Pressed Glass Bowl "Irene" · August Walther & Söhne · Amber · 1937

Oval pressed glass bowl "Irene" by August Walther & Söhne, manufactured around 1937 at the Saxon glass factory in Ottendorf-Okrilla near Dresden. Clear amber pressed glass, 36 × 22 × 9 cm, resting on four cushion-like raised feet, with two laterally curled volute handles as a typical identifying feature of the form.

The bowl dates from the heyday of German Art Deco pressed glass and is documented in the 1937 Walther pattern book under catalog number 22005. The decoration is consistently geometric: on the underside of the base, a raised quatrefoil cross with a central oval medallion, from which four blocky cross-shaped webs radiate, flanked by four large arched lobes. On the inside of the wall, fan-like arched bundles open towards the rim; the outer wall is structured by vertical fluting. The varying glass volume in relief zones, feet, and handles creates the warm play of light and dark for which Walther pressed glass is known — in thin zones, the bowl glows golden yellow; in the solid areas, the tone deepens to warm amber-brown.

The "Irene" model series was produced in several color variations — in addition to the amber presented here, also in green, blue, and colorless. The amber version (also called "Butterscotch" in contemporary Walther terminology) is one of the manufacturer's classic colors and was introduced into the range in 1932. The bowl does not bear an embossed factory mark — Walther & Söhne usually marked their pressed glass from the 1930s with paper adhesive labels, which were mostly lost in the decades thereafter. The unambiguous attribution is made via the form, the decoration, and comparison with the documented pattern book entry.

Whether on a sideboard as a fruit bowl, on the coffee table as a serving bowl, or as a central piece of a set table, the bowl immediately asserts its impact. Collectors of Art Deco pressed glass and Walther manufacturer pieces will find here a documented model in the sought-after amber color variation. The condition is very good: no chips on the wavy rim, all four feet and both volute handles fully intact, no scratch grid in the base, no dishwasher dulling, no cracks.